KUCHING: Sarawak has offered to host this year’s Malaysia Drugs Prevention Association (Pemadam) national Triennial General Meeting (TGM), which is to be held soon with delegates from all over the country converging here for the first time ever.
Pemadam Sarawak chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the state is delighted to be the host for the TGM in Kuching as it will be good for the local tourism industry.
“We are looking forward to this as the delegates from all the states are expected to come together with their office bearers and family members, who will be contributing to our tourism industry as well,” he said.
Karim, who is the Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak, said this during the Pemadam Sarawak executive committee meeting for the various bureau chiefs which was held here yesterday (March 1).
Apart from that, he said, Pemadam Sarawak will extend the invitation to the Unit For Other Religions (Unifor) to become part of the association’s executive committee member and its participation will boost the association’s efforts to reach out to the local people regardless of their racial background and religion.
“We will be writing officially to Unifor on this matter because it is an important step forward in making Pemadam Sarawak’s establishment more formidable and progressive,” he said, adding that he will be meeting Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas soon.
Karim, who is also the Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, said Pemadan Sarawak will double its efforts to reach out the community through various programmes and activities.
The association’s previous programmes had received encouraging response throughout the state, including from youths and school children.
“We will continue to work hard to organise educational and drug awareness programmes which in the past few years had received encouraging response from the target groups which include youths and school children,” he said.
The association had continued with its community outreach programmes even during the Covid-19 pandemic via collaborations with strategic partners which include Education Department, National Anti-Drugs Agency, police, Sarawak National Youth Organization (Saberkas), and various Resident and District Offices.
Among the programmes which had been organised were anti-drugs awareness talks, anti-drugs posters and slogans competitions for school children, short video making competition and anti-drugs awareness campaigns at district level.
